Addressing the Assembly for the last time as Chairman of the Committee of Ministers, Kostyantyn Gryshchenko welcomed democratic movements in the southern Mediterranean and stressed the Council of Europe’s readiness to help the region in its transition to democracy. "I hope that action plans with those countries where discussions are most advanced will be finalised soon so that these countries can rapidly benefit from the Organisation's expertise," he said.

Referring to the situation in Belarus, Mr Gryshchenko underlined that the Organisation will only back a rapprochement on the basis of respect for European values and principles. "This means, as a first measure, releasing the individuals imprisoned following the presidential elections and secondly, placing a moratorium on the death penalty," the Minister said.

Mr Gryshchenko also underscored the Council of Europe’s determination to combat all forms of racism and intolerance. In this respect, he announced that the Committee of Ministers will decide in the coming weeks on the follow-up to the "Living Together" report published in Istanbul last May.